Today, as I walked home from the bakery with fresh croissants, a woman stopped me to ask where Rue de la Roquette was. I sort of pointed and said "over there." I didn't think much of it until later in the morning when we went out for a walk and discovered that starting about a block from our house, and throughout the la Roquette neighborhood, little flea markets had been set up. This is what it looked like.
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This afternoon, I walked over the river and then north to view Arles from a different perspective. The Rhone has played an important role in the history and economy of Arles for thousands of years. This is what it looks like looking eastward across the Rhone.
I could see the lions that marked the western end of the old railroad bridge (which was blown up by the Allies to stop Germans from moving equipment during World War II) and walked over to them. Previously, I had walked or biked to the lions on the east side of the river, but this was my first visit to the west-side lions.
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| A view of the old railroad bridge pilings, and the lions on the east side |
Just before the lions, I encountered a festival with food trucks and live music. There is always something to celebrate here.
This morning, we rented bikes locally and rode along the Rhone before connecting to a nearby canal path that heads south. Agricultural fields border the canal and path. Nice spring day for a ride.
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| The canal |
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| The bike path and fellow traveler |
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| Agriculture |
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| French poppies! |
Along our stretch of the Rhone River, there are a couple of giant pieces of wood that have been sculpted into seating. As there are lots of artists in the area, these pieces are regularly re-painted with vibrant colors.
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| The artist in the act |
The other day, one artist was painting this piece. I waited until he was finished, and this is what it now looks like.
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| Detail of the fish that were just painted |
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| An elephant's head with its trunk visible |
Today we visited the exhibit in the Festival du Dessin at the Musee Departemental Arles Antique.
One featured artist was Oskar Kokoschka, an Austrian who lived from 1886 to 1980. His works displayed simplicity of lines.
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| Study for Valarie Lady Goulding, 1947 |
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| Edith Rosenheim, 1922 |
Felix Vallotton, a French artist who lived from 1865 to 1925, was also featured. The works in this installation were all woodcut engravings. They reflected life in the late 19th century.
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| The Wind Gust, 1894 |
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| The Downpour, 1894 |
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| From the series The Musical Instruments 1886 The guitar The piano The violin The flute The cello Le piston (the trumpet?) |
And outside the Musee, a jackdaw, a small French crow.
This gray morning, we visited the exhibits at Croisiere. This installation had lots of cartoons and many other forms of art. Quite interesting.
Here are a few pieces that I liked.
Two cartoons by Georges Wolinski (who was killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015):
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| I'm going to kill myself. Graduate first! |
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| Dear, I present to you the man that I would like to be. Not bad! |
An illustration by Daniel Goosens:
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| But why did I rent this hole? |
A political cartoon by Guido Busselli entitled Charles and Diana's engagement (1987):
And a scratch-board drawing of Canyon de Chelly by Thomas Ott (from his Route 66 Series):
We started in Aigues Mortes, circled the walled city, then rode to the coast along the canal and west. Mostly clear, a nice temperature, and not too much wind. We finished riding in Aigues Mortes, and stopped near the main Place for lunch.
Here are a few photos taken in Aigues Mortes
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| The statue of Saint Louis, who launched his crusades from Aigues Mortes. |
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| A spouting fish at the base of Saint Louis' statue |
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| The Tour de Constance |
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| The top of the wall above the northeast gate |
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| An icon displayed just above the NE gate |
